Viktor & Rolf

For their pre-fall collection, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren were inspired by a seventies photo of a Russian girl. Fetishistically specific, but smart enough given that Russia is one of the label's major markets. This was the Russia of Brezhnev and babushkas, though, rather than that of today's glamorous fashion plates. The era made its presence felt in the draped construction, soft jersey being a big seventies thing. A floaty, multilayered dress in silk georgette, meanwhile, echoed Ossie Clark—it would have been a very lucky babushka to have such a piece. Otherwise, items like a flocked sheer overskirt layered over a silk crepe underskirt, or a tan trench with big, rounded sleeves, had a stolid, ladylike quality.